The Road to Freedom
by FreezeDriedRose
Summary: Sequel to The Longest Journey. Follows Dave through his senior year as he attempts to repair old friendships and form some new ones. Dave/OC, Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N 1: **This story begins a few weeks after the end of The Longest Journey. Most pairings are as they were at the end of season two, i.e. Kurt/Blaine, Finn/Rachel, Tina/Mike, Sam/Mercedes. The only exception is that Puck and Lauren broke up the same way they did in canon.

* * *

><p>Dave ducked into a nearby classroom as he saw one of the hockey players round a corner with a slushie in his hand and a determined glint in his eye. It had become second nature over the last few weeks to keep an eye out for things like that. Dave's sexuality was old news now so he was no longer a primary target but he was still considered to be as much of a loser as any of the other gleeks.<p>

He still found it weird to think of himself as part of the glee club. It was a very strange little community with a complicated web of relationships that took a lot of getting used to. Kurt had described it as a family and that analogy seemed to fit. They were always bickering and squabbling amongst themselves but when it came down to it they really cared about each other. Just last week an argument between Rachel and Mercedes over a solo had gotten so heated Dave had almost expected it to result in a physical fight yet immediately afterwards, when a passing cheerleader has made a cruel comment about Mercedes weight, Rachel had unleashed a torrent of furious insults, a number of which Dave had never heard before. (And that was saying a lot because Dave was smarter than he looked and because Kurt had had reason to call him many names in the past.)

Though Dave was gradually settling into the glee club, he still hadn't really found his place in the group. While they seemed to have gotten used to his presence at rehearsals and at their lunch table, most of them seemed to not quite be sure what to make of him and there were a couple, namely Rachel, Mercedes and Sam, who still harboured a fair amount of resentment towards him. He didn't blame them. Honestly, he was amazed at how many of them had forgiven him. The friendship he'd begun with Kurt and Blaine over the summer had continued to develop and Finn was pretty cool as long as Rachel wasn't around. Dave and Puck shared a mutual sense of understanding as they'd both done some pretty bad things in the past and had been lucky enough to get a second chance with the people they'd hurt. Dave and Santana also understood each other fairly well but since Santana wasn't ready for everyone to know just how much they had in common they tried not to appear too friendly in public.

Dave made it to football practice a couple of minutes later than he would have liked thanks to that short delay.

"Damn, I was hoping you'd finally decided to do us all a favour and quit." Strando greeted him with a sneer.

Dave ignored him and started getting his uniform out of his locker. He'd gotten used to Strando's derision. Fortunately he was the only football player that was particularly outspoken against Dave. There were a few others who would usually back Strando up once he got started, but when he wasn't around they seemed content to simply pretend Dave didn't exist

"Seriously, when are you going to get the message? We don't want you in here sneaking peeks at us."

Dave snorted. "As if anyone would want to look at you."

Strando stood up and took a threatening step towards Dave. "Are you seriously talking back to me? You don't belong here. Football's for real men, not fags like you." He spat those last words out, glaring at Dave as if he was a particularly disgusting form of life that was never meant to have existed. Dave, however, refused to retreat, staring the other football player down defiantly.

Azimio, who'd been watching the exchange from the other side of the locker room, looked as if he was about to say something but at that moment Coach Bieste stormed in furiously.

"Alright, that's _it_. I've had enough of this. If you're not going to act like you're a part of this team," she addressed Strando, "then you may as well not be on it at all. Get out of my sight."

Strando was clearly shocked and outraged but a murderous glare from the coach quickly silenced him. He angrily packed his gear up and left, shooting one last glare at Dave as he walked out the door.

Coach Bieste turned to the remaining football players. "Now if any of you have a problem with Karofsky or anyone else on the team you either deal with it or leave now. If you guys can't work together we've got zero chance of winning the championship this year."

No one said a word; suddenly they were all very focused on getting ready for practice.

"Good. Now get your asses into gear, I expect to see you all out on the field in five minutes."

* * *

><p>Football practice was much less tense than usual due to Strando's absence. While a number of the football players were still hostile, they had lost their ringleader and were too afraid of Coach Bieste to say anything out loud anyway. They avoided Dave as much as they could and occasionally glared at him but that was easily ignored.<p>

By the time practice ended, Dave was completely exhausted. Coach Bieste was a hard taskmaster but Dave knew that her methods were the reason they had won the championship last year so he couldn't hold it against her. She'd also made sure to let Dave know, after he'd been outed at the start of the school year, that her office door was always open if he ever needed to talk about anything.

When Dave wearily made his way out to the parking lot he was surprised to see a very familiar car parked next to his own with an even more familiar boy leaning against it. Dave momentarily forgot his fatigue as he rushed over to pull his boyfriend into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after they moved apart.

Alex shrugged. "Missed you. Had a free afternoon."

Dave checked that no one who was likely to give them trouble was around before leaning forward to kiss Alex softly.

"What do you want to do?" Alex asked.

"Do you mind if we just go back to my place and hang out? I'm really wiped from practice."

"Sure. As long as I get to spend the afternoon with you I'm happy."

While both boys would have preferred to spend every minute they could together to make up for the time they had to spend apart because of school, it made sense for them to drive to Dave's house in their separate cars.

When they entered the house, hand in hand, they encountered Dave's father who was in the living room reading a newspaper.

"Hi boys," Paul greeted them. "I didn't know you were coming over this afternoon, Alex."

"Neither did I," Dave explained. "He just kind of showed up."

"I can move into the study if you want to watch TV in here."

"No, it's ok. I think we'll go hang out in my room for a while."

"Well make sure you leave the door open then."

Dave rolled his eyes but secretly appreciated how comfortable his parents now were with his and Alex's relationship.

They curled up together on the bed, easily falling into a position where they fitted into each others arms perfectly.

"How was school?" Alex asked, resting his head on Dave's shoulder.

Dave sighed. "It was school."

"Still sucks, then?"

"Yeah, pretty much. One good thing did happen though; Coach Bieste got sick of Strando's bullshit and kicked him off the team."

"I'm glad. From what you've told me, that guy's an asshole." That sentiment sounded particularly harsh coming from Alex, who normally liked to think the best of everyone. Where Dave was concerned he tended to get a little protective. "How are things going with the glee club?"

"Awkward, same as always."

"And is that your fault or theirs?"

Dave shifted so he could look Alex in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, confused.

"Well you've been saying things are difficult because they don't know what to think of you, but is that because they don't want to get to know you or because you're not giving them a chance to see who you really are?"

Dave took a moment to consider his boyfriend's words. "I suppose it's a little of both. Some of them haven't forgiven me yet and with the others I feel so bad about the way I treated them that I don't know how to talk to them."

"What about Kurt and Blaine? You were getting along with them fine over the summer."

"Things are still good with them but whenever they're together they're usually too distracted by each other to notice anyone else much. I can't say I blame them," He added as an afterthought. "I certainly have trouble paying attention to other people when you're around."

Alex laughed. "You're not going to get out of this conversation by being cute, you know."

Dave looked sheepish and blushed a little. "It was worth a try."

Alex couldn't resist giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"How about I promise to try to be more social and you kiss me properly," Dave suggested.

"Deal," Alex relented, moving to press their lips together again. Neither of them spoke again for quite a while; their mouths were far too busy with more important things.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: **I didn't originally plan to write a sequel but I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head and someone suggested in a review that they might be interested in reading one so I figured I may as well try to tidy up some of the things I left unresolved. I started working on this fairly soon after I posted The Longest Journey but between exams and family events I haven't had much time to write and it's been a slow process because I don't have as clear a plan for this story as I did for the first one.

I have five chapters written so far and I'm planning to post a chapter a week for the moment, though I might post chapter two earlier than that because this chapter is basically just an introduction and as a result feels kind of boring and uneventful compared to the following ones. Just to warn you, the amount of free time and internet access I have may be a little erratic over the next month or so.

I had wanted to have more written before I started posting but I figured I'd better get this up before everyone completely forgets The Longest Journey (if you haven't already) and I'm hoping that the time pressure will motivate me to write more.

I can't seem to stop second guessing myself about this story so any feedback you feel like giving me would be much appreciated. Even if you hate it, feel free to let me know, I just like knowing where I stand with people.

And I apologise that the A/N is almost as long as the chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

As Dave was heading towards the choir room for glee club rehearsal the following day his mind was on Alex and what they should do for the date they had scheduled for Friday. His distraction allowed two hockey players to corner him. They were both holding slushies and wearing expressions of smug superiority.

"Well look what we have here: proof that there's a bad case of the gay spreading through the football team," sneered Scott Cooper, who, as usual, was leading the attack.

Kurt, in this situation, would probably fire some witty, sarcastic comment that would go way over the bullies' heads and prove that he was so much more than they would ever be. Dave, unfortunately, didn't have Kurt's gift with words. The best he could do was fix them with a glare that used to inspire fear but had lost a lot of its power after his secret was revealed.

"And that is why it's high time we took our rightful place at the top of this school," the other hockey player commented.

"Excuse me?" a loud voice cut in. The three of them turned to see Azimio striding towards them. "Now I can't possibly have heard you right, because it sounded like you were suggesting that there was any chance you puckheads could possibly be better than us football players."

Azimio moved to stand beside Dave. A brief flash of uncertainty crossed the hockey players' faces.

"When was the last time you won a championship?" Azimio continued. "Or better yet, when was the last time you actually won a _game_? You certainly haven't won anything since Dave here left you losers to join the football team. Football rules this school. Always has, always will. You best remember that or you might find yourselves getting nice and cosy with the contents of a dumpster."

The hockey players no longer had the advantage in numbers and Dave and Azimio together appeared fairly intimidating. Cooper still looked defiant but he seemed to decide it would be in his best interests to back down and his crony followed his lead.

Dave breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them leave. Uncertainly, he turned to Azimio.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"No problem." Azimio shrugged. "I got your back." He was doing a good job of appearing nonchalant but there was something in his expression Dave couldn't quite read.

"You… you mean that?" Dave was a little afraid of getting his hopes up.

Azimio nodded. A moment passed in uncertain silence while he tried to figure out how to explain the conflicting thoughts that had turned his mind into a battleground after Dave had been outed. "I… It's just, It never even crossed my mind that someone… well, someone like you could be…" he shifted awkwardly. "…you know…"

"Gay," Dave supplied.

Azimio nodded again, clearly still uncomfortable with that particular word but genuinely trying to get used to thinking of it as anything other than an insult.

"I – I've had to rethink a lot of things. I've always been told that homos are sick freaks that have thrown away everything it means to be a man but… I know you. I know you're not like that. I know you wouldn't choose this, if it was a choice. I'm still kind of figuring things out but… we've been friends for years. I'm not going to let this mess that up." The last sentence was spoken with a considerable degree of conviction.

"So… we're ok?" Dave asked with guarded hopefulness.

"If you're cool, I'm cool."

"Cool." Dave wanted to say something else, wanted to be able to just pick up from where they'd left off and make everything ok again, but for the first time he had no idea what to say to his former best friend. "Um… I have to get to glee club."

If someone had told Azimio a month ago that he'd ever hear those words come out of Dave's mouth he would have laughed at them and then he'd probably have slushied them for good measure. Hearing it now reinforced the absurdity of the whole situation but he tried not to show how unsettled he was. "See you round, bro."

* * *

><p>At the end of the rehearsal, Kurt and Finn announced that their parents would be out of town for the weekend so they were inviting the glee club over for a party on Saturday night. Dave got the impression that the party was more Finn's idea than Kurt's.<p>

As everyone was leaving, Kurt walked over to Dave. "You should bring Alex, I'm sure everyone would love to meet him."

Dave didn't reply.

"You are coming, right?"

"I wasn't sure I was invited."

"Of course you are," Kurt said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We said we want everyone in the glee club to come."

"Yeah, but… I'm not exactly one of you. You guys are all so close and you have so much history together. I can understand if you don't want me around making things awkward."

"Well you're never going to get to be one of us if you don't spend time with us."

Kurt's words brought to mind the conversation Dave had had with Alex the previous afternoon.

"I guess I'd better call Alex to see if he can come," Dave relented.

* * *

><p><em>Why did I decide this was a good idea again?<em> Dave asked himself as he made his way down the stairs into the basement of the Hudson-Hummel house, Alex's hand gripped tightly in his own. Alex sensed his boyfriend's discomfort and reassuringly brushed his shoulder against Dave's. Most of the glee clubbers were already there. It looked like Puck had brought a considerable amount of alcohol, which Dave was pretty sure hadn't been in the plan for the party judging from the way Kurt was madly dashing around removing anything that might have been breakable. Blaine seemed to be trying to help but it looked kind of like when a puppy tries to help its owner do housework: all it does is get in the way but you can't get mad at it because it means well and it's so cute.

Finn greeted the new arrivals as they walked in. "Hey Dave, glad you made it. And I'm guessing you're Alex. I'm Finn."

"You're Kurt's stepbrother right? And the quarterback? Dave's told me a lot about all of you; it's good to finally be able to put faces to names." Alex knew it would be up to him to break the ice as Dave was obviously uncomfortable and unsure what to say.

"Likewise, dude." Finn replied. "Dave doesn't talk much, but what he does say usually involves you."

Dave blushed a little at that but was relieved that so far things didn't seem to be turning out nearly as awkward as he'd feared. He accepted one drink, hoping it would help him relax, but decided he wouldn't have any more after that. He wasn't ready to risk letting his guard down around these people yet.

Dave stuck to Alex like glue, letting his boyfriend take the lead when they spoke to anyone other than Kurt and Blaine. He'd never been so grateful for Alex's natural ability with people. As the night went on, Dave's discomfort began to fade but never completely disappeared.

A couple of hours later, he found himself sitting on a couch watching Alex and Mike compete in a dance off. Tina was sitting at the other end of the couch gazing just as appreciatively.

Dave didn't think he'd ever get over how beautiful Alex looked when he danced. It was almost like he became a part of the music rather than a separate human being who was just moving in time with it.

"You really love him, don't you?" came a quiet voice from Dave's right. He turned to see Tina looking at him with curiosity and a trace of understanding.

"Yeah, I do," Dave replied, his voice ringing with sincerity.

She smiled at him softly. It was just a brief moment, but that fleeting connection meant a lot to Dave. Maybe he really could belong with these people someday.

He turned back towards the dance floor to see that Brittany had joined the two boys. They quickly decided that she was the winner and Tina went over to Mike while Alex joined Dave on the couch.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to abandon you for so long."

"That's ok. I was kind of enjoying the show."

Alex smirked. "I bet you were." He gave Dave a quick kiss. "So are you having fun yet?"

"It's definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be."

Dave surveyed the room. Everyone was displaying varying degrees of intoxication. Tina and Mike were kissing in one of the more secluded corners. Kurt and Blaine were dancing to the duet Rachel and Mercedes were singing on the karaoke machine. Finn, Puck and Sam were building a pyramid of paper cups. Brittany's dancing had turned into a bit of a striptease in front of Artie who looked as if he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to watch or not. Then Dave's eyes fell on Santana who had broken off her conversation with Quinn to stare at Brittany. The emotion written on her face was all too familiar to Dave. It was the way he'd felt when Kurt had brought Blaine to help confront him after the kiss, and he'd realised the reason Kurt had been smiling before Dave knocked the phone out of his hand that fateful day. He'd felt it when he'd seen the two of them in the hallway the night they'd come to see the glee club fundraiser and known for sure that Kurt was taken and happier than Dave ever could have made him.

Santana abruptly turned and walked out of the room. Quinn looked confused and made to follow her but Dave stopped her.

"I'll go," he said. "I… I just have a feeling she might be more comfortable talking to someone outside of your group."

Quinn looked surprised but let Dave go after the other girl. No one else seemed to have noticed Santana's sudden exit.

After Dave left the room, Alex started to walk towards Kurt and Blaine but paused when he passed Finn, Puck and Sam and a snatch of their conversation caught his attention.

"How can you possibly like the new Star Wars movies better than the originals," Sam was saying. "The originals are classics."

"I just can't get over how lame some of the special effects were," Puck replied.

"They were cutting edge at the time. It's not the movies' fault they were made in the seventies. And the stories, the characters and most of the actors are all infinitely better."

"I have to agree with Sam," Alex couldn't resist contributing. "Sometimes I think Jar Jar Binks was specifically designed to be as annoying as possible."

"I know, right? And Anakin and Padme are never going to compare to Han and Leia…"

Alex and Sam quickly became involved in an animated discussion about the relative merits and failings of each movie. Finn and Puck quietly slipped away, leaving the two blonde boys to geek out together.

After demonstrating his best Obi-Wan Kenobi impression, Sam fell strangely silent. He was studying Alex as if there was something he just couldn't quite figure out.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Sorry, it's just… you seem like a cool guy. It makes it even harder to understand why you're dating Karofsky."

Alex took a moment to decide the best way to communicate what he wanted to say. "Look, I know he's done some pretty bad things in the past, but I didn't know him then so I can't judge him for the way he acted. I also can't judge you for still being angry with him, but I can tell you that the Dave I got to know over the summer, the Dave I fell in love with, isn't that person anymore. I know he feels awful about the things he did. You have no idea how much all that guilt is eating away at him. Sometimes I'm not sure I do either. And holding a grudge against him isn't going to help anyone."

Sam was silent for a moment as he considered Alex's words. "I'll think about it. But I can't promise any more than that."

* * *

><p>Dave found Santana sitting in the dark hallway, hugging her knees to her chest. She was crying silently, her shoulders shaking with the struggle to keep her emotions in check. He wordlessly sat down beside her. She made no indication that she'd even noticed he was there.<p>

"I know I'm not that good with these kinds of things," he said after a while, "but do you want to talk?"

"No."

For a moment they were both silent.

"Do you want me to leave?"

At first she made no sound. "No." She admitted eventually.

When Dave slowly placed his arm around her shoulders she didn't pull away.


	3. Chapter 3

In the week that followed, Dave and Santana interacted even less than they usually did at school. Dave was pretty sure Santana was avoiding him because she didn't want to risk having to talk about what happened at the party. It wasn't until he was heading to the cafeteria for lunch on Friday that a hand with very sharp fingernails suddenly gripped his arm and dragged him unceremoniously into an empty classroom, accompanied by a harsh "We need to talk."

"You know you could have just asked, right?" Dave said after Santana closed the door behind them.

"This way everyone'll think I'm pissed at you over the whole beard thing or something. They won't suspect… well they won't suspect anything else."

"Huh." Dave was looking at her thoughtfully.

"What?" Santana snapped, shooting him a poisonous glare.

"Sorry, It's just I'd almost forgotten how exhausting it is; pretending to be something you're not. Always having to be on your guard and worry about what people might think."

Santana was endeavouring to maintain her cool mask but there was something flickering beneath the surface. "So it's… easier?" she asked guardedly. "Having everyone know?"

"Well, obviously some things about it suck, but mostly, yeah. It's a relief to not have it eating away at me all the time, knowing all these people who say they're my friends would probably turn against me in a second if they knew the truth. I'd rather have people hate me for who I am than like me for something I'm only pretending to be, especially when the person I'm pretending to be is someone _I_ hate. And it's easier to not have to worry about making sure no one suspects, and about how they'll react if they do find out. The only remotely good thing about being forced out of the closet the way I was, was that I didn't have to agonize about that anymore. It was all over and I just had to deal with it. It was just lucky that I'd gotten to the point where I was almost ready to come out on my own. Otherwise I don't know how I would have handled it. If you're thinking about coming out, you shouldn't do it until you're sure you're ready."

"Who said I was thinking about coming out?" Dave could see Santana's carefully built walls preparing to snap back into place.

"No one," he said diplomatically. "I was just saying that in case you ever do think about it. I'll also say that you're luckier than me because you already have friends who you can count on to stand by you. But you certainly don't have to come out if you don't want to, and you don't have to listen to me either."

"Damn straight I don't," she retorted with her well-practiced queen bitch iciness, but it was only half-hearted. She turned away from Dave, her eyes scanning the empty classroom without really seeing it. Eventually she spoke again, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I love her. But if we start dating I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it a secret."

Dave didn't need to ask who she was talking about. "Well then I guess you have to decide if she's worth coming out for, and if you're ready to deal with the consequences."

"She is. I know she is. But I…"

"You're scared. That's ok. And if you're not ready, that's ok too."

Santana's expression was a confusing mixture of rapidly changing emotions. After a moment, Dave saw her mask gradually slide back into place and knew that their conversation was over. She nodded to Dave and strode out of the room, once again the invincible, arrogant cheerleader everyone recognised.

* * *

><p>When Dave reached his usual table in the cafeteria, he was surprised to see Azimio sitting with the other Glee guys. There were a couple of other football players there too, though none of the ones who had showed particular hostility towards Dave or the glee club were present.<p>

"Dude, where the hell have you been? We've been waiting for you," was Azimio's greeting.

"Sorry, I kind of got sidetracked. Is there a reason you're all here?"

"Yes there is. We need to discuss what we're going to do about these hockey assholes. They're all getting way too big for their ice skating boots."

"Agreed," said Finn. "They've slushied almost half the glee club just in the last week."

One of the other football players scoffed at that but quickly covered it with a cough when he realised he was considerably outnumbered at the present moment.

Azimio ignored the interruption. "I say we kick their asses after school tomorrow."

There was a general murmur of agreement from Puck and the non-glee football players.

"I agree that we definitely need to do something," Dave said. "But I'm not going to be involved in any sort of violence. I've done way too much of that in the past and I don't think it's really going to solve anything in the long term."

"I'm with Dave on this one," Finn contributed. "We'd just be sinking to their level."

Sam, Mike, Artie and Puck all nodded in agreement though Puck looked a little more reluctant than the other three.

"You got a better idea then?" Azimio asked.

Dave hesitated before speaking. He knew his suggestion probably wouldn't be too popular. "I think we should re-form the Bully Whips."

"Dude, I ain't wearing no faggy french hat," Azimio protested before the realisation of what he'd just said crashed over him. "Shit. Sorry man, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it." Dave quickly waved away the apology, but Azimio didn't miss the brief flicker of hurt that crossed his features. He continued as if nothing had happened. "Obviously we'll get rid of the uniforms. We need people to respect us if this is going to work. We'll probably have to find some other way of identifying ourselves but that's not important right now. Look, Santana and I ran for prom queen and king last year with that whole anti-bullying thing and the fact that I won suggests that people liked it. If we all take a stand against bullying there's a chance they'll respect us too. Between us, we've got enough badassness to pull it off. Ideally we'll stop the bullying before it happens, but if we don't well…" Dave was a little uncomfortable bringing up his past transgressions but it had to be done. "When I… when I was expelled last year, the school board overturned it because there wasn't enough evidence. If we come forward as witnesses whenever the hockey team bullies someone, the school will actually be able to punish them. The only weapon they have is fear. If we stop them using that weapon, they'll have nothing. That way we can get back on top without hurting anyone who doesn't bring it on themselves."

Everyone took a moment to think over Dave's proposition. It was Azimio who broke the silence.

"I guess I could be down with that." He wasn't entirely happy with Dave's proposition but he was willing to support it in the hope that it might help to mend their shaky friendship.

"I'm in too," agreed Finn. The other glee club members present also concurred.

A second or two passed before Anthony Rashad registered his support. One by one, almost all of the football players at the table consented to the plan.

* * *

><p>Dave felt incredibly uncomfortable standing up with Finn to communicate their idea to the rest of the glee club. The last time he'd addressed then like this he'd been reciting an apology that had been carefully scripted by Santana and that was not a pleasant memory. He'd tried to convince Finn that it would be better for the glee club co-captain to speak on his own but Finn had insisted that it was Dave's plan and he should therefore help to explain it.<p>

Dave was sceptical of how enthusiastic the glee club would be when they knew that the whole thing was his idea but they were fairly quick in expressing their support. It probably helped that Kurt immediately jumped on board, offering to design badges the Bully Whips could wear on their letterman jackets.

While Rachel was arguing with Mr Schue about something to do with sectionals (one of the first lessons Dave had learnt after joining the glee club was how to tune the Jewish diva out), Kurt took Dave aside so they could talk more privately.

"First of all, I'd just like to reiterate that I think your idea to target the bullies in this school is admirable," he began. "But if we're going to try to make people feel safe here we should focus on the victims as well as the perpetrators. I'm thinking we should spread the word that anyone who feels they are being particularly persecuted can ask the Bully Whips for help. Even if you're mainly there to provide physical protection, some of you might be able to give a little emotional support as well."

"It's a good idea," Dave agreed, "and I'd be happy to be there for anyone who wants to talk or whatever, but I can't imagine many of the football guys who aren't in glee being comfortable with that."

"Well they can just refer anyone who comes to them to someone who is willing to talk to them. Not just the Bully Whips, I'm sure everyone in the glee club would be happy to help. We've all been there at one point or another."

"We're having another meeting on Monday. I'll suggest it to everyone then and see how it goes."

"Great. I guess I'd better start designing those badges then."

Dave made an excuse to slip away and ask Finn to keep an eye on his brother's design process over the weekend to make sure the end product was something the Bully Whips would actually be willing to wear.


	4. Chapter 4

At first the impact the new and improved Bully Whips had on the school was minimal. They were able to stop any acts of bullying they encountered but the perpetrators would just roll their eyes and look for another target later. It wasn't until Scott Cooper was suspended after three of the Bully Whips testified that they'd caught him in the process of trapping a freshman kid in a locker that the bullies of McKinley High finally started to realise that their actions could incur significant negative consequences. Slowly but surely, the conditions at the school were improving. It had even gotten to the point where Santana had found the confidence to quietly confirm to the rest of the glee club that she and Brittany were together, though she'd come up with some very creative threats in case anyone considered revealing her secret to the rest of the school.

Dave happily recounted the progress they'd made to Alex one Friday night at Breadstix.

"We've got the entire football team on board now, and no one's willing to say anything against an undefeated team that won last year's championship. Now we're trying to recruit some more juniors so there'll be enough people keep things going next year."

Alex was listening with a fond smile that was reserved exclusively for his boyfriend. "It's amazing that you're making so much of a difference. Hey, speaking of next year, have you thought about what college you want to go to?"

Dave nodded. "I know I'm always talking about how badly I want to escape from this town, and I do want more than anything to get out of here, but the more I hear Kurt going on about leaving everything behind to live in New York, the more I realise that I don't actually want to go too far away. I've kind of just started rebuilding my relationship with my parents after everything that happened last year so I'd like to be somewhere close enough that I can come home on weekends sometimes."

"I've been thinking kind of the same thing. I'm pretty much the only family my mom has. My grandparents died years ago and her sister lives in Australia. It's always been just the two of us and I kind of feel like I'd be abandoning her if I went too far away."

"My physics teacher told me the other day that he thinks I should consider studying engineering and I think I'd probably like that. He said Ohio State has a really good engineering program and it's only a couple of hours away from here."

"Ohio State's pretty high up on my list too. It's not too far away and they have plenty of support groups and things for LGBT students. I'm not really sure what I want to study yet. I've always been pretty good at science and stuff but I'm not interested in research or medicine or anything like that. I think I'd like to be a science teacher but I don't know if I should do a general science degree first to keep my options open of if I should go straight into an education course."

"I think you'd make an awesome teacher. You're really good with people. You'd know just how to explain things without making anyone feel stupid." Dave paused for a moment, admiring the beautiful boy sitting opposite him. "I know we probably shouldn't be planning our futures around each other when we may not even be together by the time we start college, but it's not like we'd be compromising ourselves by applying to the same university when we both want pretty much the same things and I…" He looked slightly bashful. "I just can't imagine not being in love with you."

Alex reached over to squeeze Dave's hand, which was resting on the table. "Me either. And now I think it's time we got out of here."

Dave picked up on his boyfriend's playful tone. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because right now I have an empty house and an incredibly sexy boyfriend and I'd really like to combine those two things"

* * *

><p>Azimio wished he knew how to get things back to the way they were before he found out Dave was gay. Actually, that wasn't quite right, because their friendship had been disintegrating long before that. He wished he knew how to get things back to the way they were before Dave started to get cagey and defensive and then went on that crazy vendetta against Hummel. It had been obvious to Azimio that something was wrong, and he'd spent ages considering the possible causes for Dave's behavior, but the actual reason for it had never even crossed his mind.<p>

When had things gotten so damn complicated? Life used to be simple. Hang with the cool kids, slushie the losers, stay on top no matter what. Sometimes he wished he could turn back time to when things were black and white, but he knew he shouldn't think like that. Some of the things they'd done, the way they'd treated people, had been pretty messed up. He'd never thought too much about it before, but while he was trying to figure out how to get his head around the fact that his best friend was into dudes he'd done a lot of googling and he'd stumbled across way too many stories of gay kids who'd killed themselves because of the way they'd been treated. It scared him that his single-minded determination to maintain his own popularity could have been the cause of something like that and it scared him even more that, if things had been different, his best friend could have ended up like one of those kids.

Azimio was trying his best to get used to the idea of Dave being gay. He'd been taught to think a certain way all his life, and it was hard to get past something that was so deeply ingrained into his psyche, but the idea that a guy who loved football and could kick his ass at Call of Duty had a boyfriend didn't fit with that way of thinking at all. It was an anomaly, an outlier, the exception that proved that the rule was bullshit, and now he had to figure out how to adapt his long-held views to fit with this new development. He'd made some progress but it still made him kind of uncomfortable if he let himself think about it too much.

Things between Azimio and Dave had been gradually improving, especially since they'd started the whole Bully Whips thing, but Dave still seemed to be more comfortable around his former victims than he did around his former best friend. Azimio wasn't sure how to fix things because he'd never had to work to maintain their friendship before. It used to be effortless because they knew each other so well, or at least, Azimio had thought they did. Now he wasn't so sure. Somehow the guy he'd been best friends with since third grade had become a stranger to him. Azimio couldn't even remember the last time they'd hung out.

Well, at least that was something he could fix.

He still knew Dave's number by heart and could dial it faster than he could find it saved in his phone. It rang quite a few times before Dave answered.

"Hey, Z, what's up?"

"Not much, I was just wondering if you wanted to come over and play COD or something today. We haven't hung out in like forever."

"Um… Actually I'm going to see a movie with Alex and some of his friends this afternoon. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came too."

"Nah, it's cool man, I don't want to crash your date."

"It's not a date. Actually, now that Kyle and Zoe are together it'll be kind of like a double date with one extra. I'm sure Dylan would be glad to have you there; he's been getting really sick of being a fifth wheel. …But if you're not comfortable with seeing me and Alex together that's fine," Dave added as that idea occurred to him. "We can hang out tomorrow."

Azimio heard the hint of disappointment in his friend's voice and felt guilty. "No, I'm… well I can't say I'm totally ok with it yet but I gotta get used to it eventually, right? If you're sure the others don't mind, I'll be there, just tell me where and when."

* * *

><p>Azimio arrived just in time to see Dave walking towards a small group of teenagers who were waiting outside the cinema. The blond guy was recognisable from the photos of him and Dave that had been posted on Jacob Ben Israel's blog the day before the start of the school year. Azimio looked away when he saw his friend start to lean in for a kiss. There were some things he just wasn't ready to see.<p>

When he looked back, Dave and his… (_boyfriend, you idiot, it's not like refusing to acknowledge the word is going to make it any less true_) were holding hands and talking to the other three. Azimio took a deep breath and headed towards them, trying his best to ignore their joined hands and shut up the voice in his head that was screaming that it was just plain _wrong_. Dave may have noticed something in Azimio's expression because he let go of Alex's hand as his friend approached.

"Hey, glad you decided to come," Dave greeted him. "Um, so this is Alex," he rested a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, "Zoe, Kyle," he gestured towards the only girl in the group and the flame-haired guy who was hanging off her arm, "and Dylan," a tall guy with almost as much product in his hair as Hummel's boyfriend. "Guys, this is Azimio."

"Should we be heading in?" Azimio asked, "You said the movie starts at two, that's like five minutes from now."

"Actually, that's kind of what we were just talking about before you and Dave arrived," Alex explained. "A certain idiot who will remain nameless" – he glared at Kyle – "read the wrong session times. The movie we were planning on seeing isn't on for another hour and a half. _Paranormal Activity _is on in about half an hour though so we were thinking we'd see that one instead if it's ok with you two."

Azimio and Dave both agreed and the six of them decided to kill the remaining time before the movie started in a café that was a few doors down from the cinema. Azimio was surprised at how easily he slipped into comfortable conversation with the group. They all seemed like fairly decent people despite the fact that Kyle and Zoe were all over each other, and Alex was kind of a dork, and Dylan was a worse flirt than Puckerman. (Azimio chose not to think about the fact that he didn't only hit on girls. One step at a time.) He was kind of relieved to find that Alex didn't appear too stereotypically gay. He didn't think he could handle seeing his best friend dating some Hummel clone, but this… well, maybe one day it wouldn't feel weird.

Dave appeared to be trying to tone down his relationship with Alex either to make his friend feel more comfortable or because he was afraid Azimio might change his mind about accepting his sexuality once he was actually confronted with it. Despite that, he didn't seem to be able to stop himself from falling into flirtatious banter with his boyfriend from time to time, and it was enough to show Azimio that Dave was happy. Like, really, stupidly, insanely happy. It was hard to believe that the guy who'd been so destructive to himself and everyone around him was the same guy who was grinning at his boyfriend like a goddamn Cheshire cat. And that had to mean that this was a good thing, right?

Azimio was surprised at how quickly that half hour passed. It felt like only ten minutes later that he found himself seated between Dave and Dylan in the cinema. Halfway through the film he looked over to see that Dave and Alex were taking advantage of the darkness of the cinema to lean into each other, their hands clasped on the armrest. He found that the voice in his head that wanted him to be disgusted by that had gotten a little quieter. He looked past the two of them to the other couple in the group and tried not to snicker at the fact that Kyle had practically climbed into his girlfriend's lap. Apparently the ginger kid wasn't a fan of horror movies.

By the time the movie ended, Dave seemed to have caught onto the fact that Azimio wasn't going to freak out if he showed any affection towards his boyfriend because he and Alex walked out of the cinema hand in hand. Either that or the action was just so natural to him he hadn't thought about it. From behind them came a mutter of "That's disgusting," and they turned to see a woman giving them a filthy look. Dave's face fell but he just kept walking and didn't let go of Alex's hand.

Azimio looked at him quizzically. "You're just going to take that?"

Dave shrugged sadly. "It's not like anything I say is going to change her mind. It's not the first time someone's said something like that about us and it won't be the last. I'd rather just ignore it and not let it ruin my day."

Azimio looked thoughtful. "I'm sorry you have to deal with stuff like that," he said quietly after a moment. "And I… I'm sorry that not long ago I would have been one of those people."

* * *

><p>When Dave returned home he was in an unusually good mood. For the first time, he allowed himself to genuinely hope that he could repair his friendship with Azimio. As he closed the door behind him he heard his mother's voice call out.<p>

"David, honey, is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Come into the living room."

His mother was sitting in an armchair facing a hunched figure on the couch. The other occupant of the room lifted her head as Dave entered and he saw that she'd been crying.

"Santana, what are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"I-I told my parents." Her voice was weak and trembling. "They… they kicked me out."


	5. Chapter 5

"_Santana, what are you doing here? What's wrong?"_

"_I-I told my parents." Her voice was weak and trembling. "They… they kicked me out."_

Dave sat down beside her and cautiously put his arm around her shoulders. Santana hated showing any kind of vulnerability and Dave knew from experience that she was usually at her most volatile when she was upset. He was surprised when she leaned into the embrace.

"My mom just kept trying to deny it at first. She said that it couldn't be true because there was no way her daughter could be gay. And when I kept insisting that I was she said that I–" her voice cracked, "that I couldn't be her daughter anymore then. She said she refused to have a dyke living under her roof so I either had to take it back or leave. So I left. I didn't even think to grab my phone or my car keys or anything. And my dad… he just _stood_ there. He didn't say anything. He just let that… that judgemental _bitch_ insult me and reject me and throw me out and he didn't say a word."

Dave half expected his mother to chastise Santana for speaking that way about her parents but Harriet looked just as furious at the way Santana had been treated as Santana herself did.

"I just can't fathom how a mother could do that to her own child. I'm so sorry dear. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to," she assured the distraught girl. "In fact, I'll go make up the spare room now."

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Santana continued after Dave's mother left the room, "But I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Britt's mom doesn't like me and I couldn't let Quinn or anyone else see me like this."

"Don't worry about it. You and I may have a very weird relationship," he teased gently, "but I kind of like to think that we're friends." His tone became more serious. "Whatever you need, I'll be here."

Santana tried not to show how touched she was by Dave's unhesitating support. She was already starting to feel embarrassed about breaking down in front of him again and she hated having to acknowledge that she needed anyone.

They were both quiet for a moment. Dave knew it would be best to allow Santana to have control over the conversation so he waited for her to continue it in whatever way she was most comfortable with.

After a moment, she laughed humourlessly. "I was so happy. I was finally with the girl I've been in love with for as long as I can remember and everything was perfect except for the fact I couldn't tell anyone about it. I _just_ wanted to be able to share it with them."

"I remember what that's like. I'd spend every Friday night with Alex and it would be so amazing and then I'd have to go home and pretend I'd had a completely ordinary night just hanging out with friends or something."

"But when you did tell them they still loved you," Santana said forlornly. "Just… never take that for granted ok? You're really lucky to have them."

"I don't, believe me. And you're welcome to share them if that's what you want." Dave added, trying to lighten the mood. "I think my mom's already plotting to adopt you anyway."

Santana almost managed a smile. "Can I call Brittany? I just really need to talk to her right now."

"Of course. You can use the phone in the study; you'll have more privacy there."

* * *

><p>As Dave had suspected, his parents were more than willing to accept Santana into the family. She refused Paul's suggestion that they go over to her house the following day to pick up some of her things as she didn't want to risk having to face either of her parents just yet. Instead, she suggested they go on Monday after school when both her parents would be at work.<p>

Dave and Santana spent Sunday watching a succession of DVDs of Santana's choosing, which seemed to alternate between the extremely sappy and the gratuitously violent. During a particularly saccharine romantic comedy, Dave asked why she hadn't invited Brittany over. "I'm sure she'd appreciate this a lot more than I do," he commented, indicating the TV.

"Are you kidding? Look at me." She gestured to her bloodshot eyes and the ill-fitting clothes she'd borrowed from Dave's mother. "I'm not going to let her see me like this."

"Somehow I don't think she'd mind, but whatever you want, I guess." Dave let the subject drop and they both went back to watching the movie.

"Thanks for this," Santana said softly after they'd both been quiet for a while. "For being here. I know there must be a million things you'd rather be doing right now."

"No problem." Dave shrugged. "I meant it when I said I'd be here for whatever you need."

"I know. So thanks for that."

* * *

><p>Santana washed the clothes she'd been wearing when she showed up on Dave's doorstep so she could look respectable at school on Monday. Brittany was waiting for them outside the front of the school when they arrived. When Santana saw her, she smiled genuinely for the first time in days.<p>

"I missed you," Brittany greeted her girlfriend. "Why wouldn't you let me come over yesterday?"

"I was a mess, babe. I didn't want you to see me like that."

Brittany looked confused. "But you always look beautiful to me," she said, as if it was as obvious as the fact that the sky was blue.

Santana hugged Brittany tightly, fighting back a tsunami of emotion. "I love you."

"I love you too. So everything's going to be ok."

Santana was past worrying about what other people thought; she needed Brittany too much right now, and what did anyone else's opinion matter when she'd already as good as lost her family. She pulled away just enough to kiss the girl she loved with all her heart, not caring who saw.

Brittany didn't leave Santana's side all day. Santana refused to let Dave assign her an official Bully Whips protection detail, so he and the other glee guys just agreed to make sure that one of them was always nearby in case anyone decided to give the girls any trouble. The entire glee club was fierce in their support of Santana. She received six separate offers of alternative accommodation in case she got tired of staying at Dave's house and it took almost half an hour to convince Puck that vandalising Mrs. Lopez's car would not be a good idea.

After school, Dave and Santana drove over to the place she used to call home. Her hands shook as she uncovered the spare key and unlocked the door. She'd almost been surprised to find it in the same place it had always been kept. She wouldn't put it past the raging harpy her mother had become on Saturday to hide the key somewhere else so her disappointment of a daughter couldn't get in. Once inside, she made a beeline for her room, wanting to get her task done as quickly as possible. She froze when she heard a voice call out from the living room.

"Santana, is that you?" Her father appeared in the doorway. "I thought you might come back here today, so I took the day off work." His voice was tentative, clearly uncertain and a little afraid of how his daughter might react to his presence.

Even when she'd been crying in Dave's arms on Saturday, Santana's emotions hadn't been displayed so nakedly on her face as they were now. The sting of being rejected by people who were supposed to love her unconditionally was shown all too clearly.

"I-I don't want to talk to you."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have said something. I should have–"

"–Well you didn't, did you?" The pain in her voice couldn't entirely be covered by her anger. She dismissively turned away from him and walked out of the room.

Dave followed behind her, not wanting to be left to make awkward small talk with her father. In Santana's bedroom, Dave calmly helped her pack, making no comment on the tears that were streaming down her face.

Her father just watched sadly and silently as she walked past him on her way out of the house, but as Dave made to follow her, Mr Lopez caught his arm.

"Just… take care of her," Santana's father quietly but vehemently implored. "Please."

Dave nodded solemnly. "I will."


	6. Chapter 6

If Dave had known that being in a club that was based on singing and dancing could be this stressful, he might have thought twice about auditioning. Sectionals were a few weeks away and everyone was on edge. According to Kurt, they'd chosen the songs they were going to perform for the competition much earlier than they usually did but it felt like with every rehearsal they were getting worse instead of better.

"Ok, I think that's more than enough for today," Mr Schuester said after Finn tripped over his own feet for the third time that day.

"But we're only halfway through the rehearsal," Rachel protested. "We only have three weeks and five days left before Sectionals. We can't afford to waste a second of rehearsal time."

"Practicing isn't helping anyone right now," Mr Schue countered. "We're all too stressed and we need a break. For the rest of the week we're going to forget about Sectionals and have a friendly duet competition instead." Everyone scrambled to choose partners but the glee club director shook his head. "To avoid any drama about who's singing with whom we're going to let the hat of fate decide."

Everyone watched apprehensively as pairs of names were drawn out of the hat but most of the first people chosen seemed fairly content with their duet partners. Puck and Mike were already brainstorming ideas and Mercedes and Artie were going to be a difficult team to beat. Santana was a little miffed about being partnered with Finn but appeased by the fact that she was confident that she could easily to bend him to her will.

Dave's heart sank when his name was read out followed by Rachel's. She was the only member of the glee club that still refused to forgive him for his past actions. Sam had warmed up to him after Finn and Kurt's party and Mercedes, upon realising that both her best friend and her boyfriend were content to let go of the past, had conceded that Dave was worthy of a second chance, but Rachel still refused to even speak to him.

The girl in question stiffly stood up and moved to sit in the empty chair on Dave's right.

"The only reason I'm not protesting this is because you happen to be a fairly talented singer despite your complete lack of training and together we stand a good chance of winning this competition." She said frostily without bothering to look at him. "And because Mr Schuester probably wouldn't listen to me anyway. As long as you allow me choose the song and agree to perform it however I tell you to, I'll ignore the fact that you're a deplorable excuse for a human being. I don't want you in my house, so I'll be arriving at yours to practice at five pm this afternoon."

With that, she stood and went over to rescue Finn, who was already shrinking back meekly from Santana.

Dave decided that his best course of action would be to comply with whatever Rachel wanted him to do. That way, he could get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible and wouldn't risk making her dislike him any more than she already did. When he got home from school, he tried to get his room to look relatively tidy so they could practice in there without Rachel turning her nose up at the mess and settled in the living room, where Santana was watching some inscrutable reality show, while he waited for his reluctant duet partner to arrive.

Dave and Santana had fallen into their roles as brother and sister with surprising ease. Dave found it a little strange to share his house with another teenager when he was so used to being an only child but neither of them ever really felt uncomfortable about it. They often argued and sniped at each other but it was (mostly) good natured and each knew the other would be there for them when they really needed it. They had seen each other at their worst and shared a deep sense of understanding due to their similar struggles to accept their sexuality.

It was almost exactly five o'clock when Dave heard a sharp knock at the front door. He opened it to find Rachel standing on the doorstep with a sour expression on her face.

"I'd just like to reiterate that I am here under protest," she stated imperiously as he led her into the house. "Just because I am cooperating with you for the purposes of this competition does not mean I in any way forgive you for the way you have treated myself and my friends. I still despise you, but like many great heroines I must endure such hardships on my way to becoming a star."

A derisive snort emanated from the living room, the entrance to which they were standing in front of.

"Is there something you wish to comment on, Santana?" Rachel asked, primly stepping into the room to address the other girl.

"All you're doing, Miss Prima Donna, is exercising your uncanny ability to take a situation that you're barely involved in and somehow make it appear to revolve entirely around you. Yeah, when Dave was lost in Narnia he was a jerk, but he's not anymore. In fact, he's been doing pretty much everything he can think of to make up for it. It's not his fault you're a pathetic drama queen that can't let go of a grudge."

Rachel did her best to look affronted but a brief flicker of something else that crossed her expression suggested that something Santana said may have hit home.

"We need to practice," she said dismissively, and abruptly turned and walked out of the room, Dave following behind her.

Rachel made to storm off before realising that she didn't actually know where they were going to practice. Dave pretended he didn't notice and silently led her to his room. He noticed a look of faint surprise cross her face as she entered and wondered what she had expected the room to look like. Had she thought his bookshelf would be filled with tomes describing satanic rituals instead of its varied mixture of classics and crime novels? Or maybe she'd assumed that his walls would be covered with homophobic slogans rather than a collage of photos and a few posters of football players (some of which, he was no longer ashamed to admit, had been chosen more for their aesthetic appeal than because of his admiration of their sporting ability). Rachel made no comment as she surveyed the room; she simply scanned it until she found Dave's iPod dock, which she plugged her device into, and wordlessly handed him a sheet of lyrics to the song she'd chosen for their duet.

The next hour passed slowly, and consisted mostly of Rachel giving orders and Dave doing his best to obey them. A little after six, Rachel decreed that they had practiced enough for that day and should stop before they wore out their voices.

"Ok, so do you want to practice again tomorrow, same time?" Dave asked.

Rachel looked at him curiously for a moment, without replying. "Why are you being nice to me?" she asked suddenly. "I've been nothing but horrible to you all afternoon and you haven't said a word against me."

Dave shrugged awkwardly. "You have every right to be angry with me for the things I did. But we have to be able to work together to get through this assignment so I'm doing my best to cooperate and make this as painless as possible."

Rachel was quiet for a moment. "David," she began guardedly, though the fact that she was using his first name was progress in itself, "why exactly did you bully Kurt? Especially when he was probably the person who could have best understood what you were going through. I just can't understand how you could attack him for being gay when you knew you were gay yourself. You should know better than anyone that it's not a choice."

Dave sighed regretfully. "It was stupid, I know, and more than wrong. I just… I wanted more than_ anything_ to be normal and the possibility that I could be gay absolutely terrified me. And Kurt's always been so open and proud of who he is, and I admired that about him, still do, but seeing him every day made it difficult to forget how confused and scared I was, especially since I kind of had a crush on him. He basically reminded me of everything I hated about myself and so I took all that fear and self-loathing out on him. I feel horrible about the things I did. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself. That's why I don't mind that you hate me, because I know I don't deserve your forgiveness."

The expression on Rachel's face was too complex for Dave to decipher. "I don't hate you," she said softly after a moment. "I may have hated the bully who tormented my friends, but you're really not that person anymore, are you? Kurt tried to tell me that but I wouldn't listen. I cast you as a heartless monster and myself as the innocent, persecuted heroine, but people aren't that simple, no matter how much I'd like to pretend they are. We're both only human, and everyone makes mistakes. I certainly can't say I've never hurt someone because I was insecure or upset." An image of Finn's face when she told him she'd kissed Puck flashed across her mind. "I'm sorry. I've treated you unfairly."

"You don't have to apologise."

"Yes I do," she replied with quiet sincerity. "I'm going to go home now or I'll be late for dinner." She got up to leave, and Dave walked her to the door. "How about we meet at my place tomorrow? And just so you know, I'm sure my dads would be happy to talk to you if you ever have any questions about anything. And… Dave?" She asked gently, making sure he was looking her in the eye before continuing. "You really should try to forgive yourself."

* * *

><p>Their duet ended up going fairly well. The song Rachel had chosen suited their voices perfectly and they now felt much more comfortable about working together. However, in the end, no one could compete with Blaine and Tina's rendition of 'Whataya Want From Me.'<p>

That night, during dinner, as Santana was explaining exactly why the fact that she hadn't won was all Finn's fault, they heard an unexpected knock at the front door. Paul got up to answer it and returned to the dining room wearing an expression of surprise and slight unease. Following behind him, looking nervous and uncomfortable, was Santana's father.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner," Mr Lopez began, "but I was hoping I could have a word with my daughter."

"If that's what she wants," Harriet replied, looking to Santana.

Santana looked for a moment as if she might refuse, but eventually she nodded slowly and followed her father out of the room.

At first, Mr Lopez didn't speak. He studied his daughter, his expression flickering between uncertainty, fear, regret and, underlying everything, love.

Santana wished she could pretend she didn't see that last emotion. She wanted to look away. It would be easier, then, to tell herself that she hated the man standing in front of her. To forget that they were family; that they were connected by threads that may fray from time to time but could never truly break. She didn't manage to pull her eyes away from his before he began to speak.

"I… I hope they are taking good care of you, and… I'm sorry I haven't been the father you deserve."

"Why are you here?" She barely managed to raise her voice above a whisper.

"I wanted to tell you that I've done something I should have done a long time ago. I… I left your mother. I don't want you to think that you are to blame in any way. Your mother and I have not truly been in love for a very long time now. We only stayed together for the sake of you and your brother, and now that he is off at college and it is clear from… recent events that your mother and I being together is not the best thing for you anymore, there was no reason for us to pretend any longer." His eyes begged her for understanding and forgiveness. "I'm so sorry, _mija_. I should have defended you from the start. I was weak and cowardly, and I understand if you are not ready to put your trust in me again. But when and if you are ready, I would love for you to come and live with me."

There was a part of Santana that wanted desperately to just run into her father's arms and forget that the last couple of weeks had ever happened. But they_ had_ happened, and she couldn't ignore the fact that he had failed her when she needed him the most.

"I-I don't think I can-… not yet."

Her father looked a little disappointed, but not surprised. "I understand. I was thinking that maybe to start with we could have dinner together sometime? You could bring Brittany as well if you like. I'd love to meet her properly. That is, as your girlfriend."

"Ok," she eventually managed to shakily reply. "We could do that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Firstly, Merry Christmas. Secondly, I'm really sorry, but I have no idea when I'm going to be able to post the next chapter. Real life is insane right now and it's probably going to stay that way for at least the next month. I have most of chapter 7 written but the last scene still needs a lot of work and I have no idea when I'm going to have time. I will get it done eventually, though, I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next few weeks, Santana and her father gradually worked to rebuild their relationship. They started by having dinner together at a restaurant, then a second dinner at her father's house where Brittany joined them, and then, two weeks after her father had first shown up at the Karofskys' house, Santana decided that she was comfortable enough to invite him back into the place that had become her sanctuary after she'd been kicked out of her former home. He proudly watched her perform at sectionals, where the New Directions outstripped the Unitards and the Hipsters without much difficulty.

Eventually, Santana agreed to move into her father's house at the start of the Christmas break. Dave and his parents assured her that she would always be welcome to return if things didn't work out but everyone involved was fairly confident that wouldn't be necessary. Santana was especially pleased when she found out her brother had chosen to spend Christmas with her and their father rather than with their mother.

Dave was surprised at how much emptier the house seemed after Santana left. She was only one person but she had a larger than life personality and he'd quickly become accustomed to her presence. The house wasn't going to stay quiet for long though. Dave's extended family always spent Christmas there since it was a fairly central location for all the branches of the Karofsky family tree, and the first of those relatives was due to arrive the next day. Dave knew that his mother was secretly a little relieved that Santana had left when she did, as it was difficult enough to fit everyone in the house already. Paul had a brother and a sister, both of whom were married with kids. Elaine Carslaw, nee Karofsky, and her husband Tony had a sixteen year old daughter named Emily, and Mark and Diane Karofsky had two sons: twelve year old Gavin and eight year old Daniel. Dave's grandmother on his mother's side, his only surviving grandparent, would also be spending Christmas with them.

Christmas was usually the only time that they could manage to get the whole family in one place at one time and when they did all get together it was always the same. Dave's two youngest cousins would constantly demand his attention, his father and his Uncle Tony would get involved in some heated discussion about politics, his Uncle Mark would grill him about school while his Aunt Diane always had to ask if he had a girlfriend…

It was that last thought that caused him to falter as he helped his mother re-make the bed in the room Santana had occupied ready for his aunt and uncle to stay in over the holiday.

"Is something wrong?" Harriet asked when she noticed the expression on her son's face.

"I'm going to have to come out to everyone, aren't I," Dave replied, sounding resigned.

"Well, that's really up to you. You don't have to tell them if you don't want to."

Dave shook his head. "I definitely don't want to lie to them. And it'll be pretty hard to avoid the subject with Aunt Diane around."

Dave's mother smiled wryly. "Good point. It's still your choice though. Your grandmother's arriving a day earlier than everyone else so maybe you could start by telling her and then decide if you're ready to tell the others."

Dave took a moment to consider his mother's idea. "Do you think she'll be ok with it?" he asked eventually.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I honestly don't know," his mother replied ruefully. "Obviously she was raised in a very different time and the values she was brought up with may affect her opinion. But I can't remember ever hearing her say anything homophobic. You're her only grandchild and she thinks the world of you. I'd say there's a good chance she'll love you just as she always has."

Dave sighed. "Well I guess I've got until tomorrow to figure out what I want to do. I know I'm supposed to be helping you get the house ready but could I please go and call Alex now? I'd really like to talk to him about this."

"Go ahead." Harriet smiled understandingly. "Actually I'm surprised I managed to keep you working even this long. You're a lot more helpful than your father; he usually invents some sort of debilitating injury within about ten minutes."

* * *

><p>Alex listened attentively as Dave explained the situation.<p>

"You sound like you've already decided to tell them," he observed once his boyfriend had finished speaking.

"Yeah, I guess I have. I'll feel like a coward if I don't and I'm sick of letting my fears get the better of me. I guess it's more the 'how' I'm trying to figure out rather than the 'if.' But I'm still scared. I mean, Santana's _mother_ couldn't accept her. How can I be sure of anyone after that?"

"That's completely understandable. I won't think any less of you if you decide you're not ready for this. Maybe we could test the waters first before you make your final decision. Your grandmother arrives tomorrow, right?" Dave answered in the affirmative. "Well how about I come over tomorrow afternoon, just as your friend. I'll try to find some way to mention to your grandmother that I'm gay and we'll see how she reacts. Then you can decide what you want to do."

Dave fell a little more in love with Alex for his use of the word 'we.' It reminded him that, no matter what happened, he wouldn't have to deal with it alone. Six months ago he'd thought that coming out would mean losing everyone but in reality the opposite had happened. He had an amazing boyfriend, a much closer relationship with his parents, and more true friends than he'd ever had before. Even if the rest of his family weren't as supportive, no one could take that away from him.

"Ok, that sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>Dave's grandmother arrived by train the next morning and Dave went with his mother to pick her up from the station. Margaret Francis was, as usual, delighted to see her grandson and marvelled at how quickly he was growing from a boy to a young man. She was relieved to find that he was no longer the sullen, uncommunicative boy she had encountered last Christmas. It had been obvious that something was terribly wrong last year but she'd had no idea what it was or how to help. Now, he seemed to radiate contentment. Over lunch, he happily told her all about school and his friends and the glee club, though he carefully omitted the reason why he had joined the show choir group.<p>

Alex arrived later in the afternoon under the pretext of returning a DVD he'd borrowed from Dave and was invited to join the family for afternoon tea. He made good use of his talent for charming adults, quickly endearing himself to Dave's grandmother.

Observing the interactions between the two boys, Margaret noticed something that she couldn't quite put her finger on in the way Alex looked at her grandson. It wasn't until the conversation turned to classic movies and Alex admitted to having a slight crush on James Dean that the pieces fell into place. Her eyes moved to Dave, trying to determine if he returned the other boy's feelings, but his expression was unusually difficult to decipher. Noticing that they were out of tea, she offered to make more and asked Dave to assist her.

Dave tried to hide how nervous he was as he followed his grandmother out to the kitchen. Alex's comment had been subtle but she couldn't have missed it. She hadn't displayed any strong reaction but for all Dave knew she may have had hidden her disgust for the sake of politeness and was about to tell him that he was never to speak to Alex again.

"So, have you and Alex been friends long?" Margaret asked as she filled the kettle. Her tone remained casual but did nothing to quell Dave's fears.

"I met him over the summer. We were working in the same store."

"Well he seems like a nice boy. I have to ask, though…"

_Ok, that doesn't sound good._

"Are you aware that he's in love with you?"

The blunt question caught Dave completely by surprise and he spluttered clumsily as he tried to figure out how to respond.

"Um, I guess… yeah, I'm… aware… of that." _Screw it; I may as well just get this over with. _"Actually, I'm… uh… I'm in love with him too. He's… he's my boyfriend."

Dave's heart beat at a frantic pace as he waited for his grandmother to respond.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. I was worried that you might have been leading him on terribly. And I'm glad you've found someone. I don't think I'll ever be able to accept that anyone's good enough for you but I'd say this boy comes very close."

The relief Dave felt was immeasurable. "So you're ok with… with me being gay?"

"It's clear to me that you've changed immensely since the last time I saw you and it seems to be for the better, How can I object to something that obviously makes you so happy?"

Dave struggled to find words to express his gratitude. "I… Thank you… I… You don't know what this means to me…"

Recognising that Dave was a little overwhelmed, Margaret gave her grandson a sympathetic smile before hugging him tightly. "Come on," she said once Dave seemed to have regained control of his emotions. "The tea's ready and I'm sure your Alex is dying of suspense waiting for us."

When they returned to the dining room, Dave took his seat next to Alex and slipped his hand into his boyfriend's with a soft smile. Alex responded with a grin that sent a rush of warmth spreading from Dave's heart throughout the rest of his body. Margaret watched them with a small smile of her own. Yes, if anyone was worthy of her grandson it was this boy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry I haven't updated in so long. This chapter has been sitting unfinished on my computer for over a month so I just quickly gave it an ending so I could have something to post. Updates are probably going to be few and far between for a while yet because I'm working on two stories at once and I don't really have time for either. If you haven't already, please check out my Sebastian/Karofsky fic "Nothing More" which has kind of taken over my brain for the moment (another reason for the lack of updates on this story). I know it's not a particularly popular pairing but please give it a chance; I seem to have converted a few people already. **


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